Church of the Nazarene

Church of Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination in the classical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition and the largest such denomination in the world. The Nazarenes and other Wesleyan denominations distinguish themselves from most other Christian churches by their focus on the doctrine of “entire sanctification” – being called to a life of holy living. The Church traces its anniversary date to 1908. In that year, the West coast based Nazarenes under the leadership of Dr. Bresee united with the Holiness Church of Christ based in Texas.

For many years, Nazarene missionaries of the Southern African Mission Field “prayed that God would open the doors that missionaries might be sent to Central Africa.” In 1955, a group was sent to “spy out the land” with special emphasis on Nyasaland (Malawi). B. Maurice Hall and his wife arrived in Malawi in 1957. A mission was opened in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) the following year and in in Salisbury in 1963.

The Church of the Nazarene now includes congregations in more than 160 countries of the world. The 30,000 Nazarene churches around the world now have a total membership of almost 2.5 million.